We have arrived at Part 21 in the continuing rollout of our list of 2014′s Most Infectious Extreme Metal Songs. For more details about what this list is all about and how it was compiled, read the introductory post via this link. For the other songs we’ve previously named to the list, go here.

The two songs I’m adding today aren’t as loud and extreme as the majority of what’s on the list. They’re also exceptions to the rule embodied in the site’s name. But they’re both very good, very infectious songs — and they have some other things in common, too. Prepare for some satanic rock.

THE HOUSE OF CAPRICORN

Morning Star Rise marked a conscious change in sound for New Zealand’s The House of Capricorn, a change exemplified by the song I’m adding to the list today. Relatively speaking “Ivory Crown” is one of the more subdued tracks on the album — if you’re looking for tracks that drive harder on the mayhem end of the spectrum, then I’d recommend “The Road To Hell Is Marked” or “Our Shrouded King”. But “Ivory Crown” is built around such killer melodic hooks that it’s powerfully addictive.

It’s shrouded in an atmosphere of gothic doom, with a steamroller bass tone and spine-jarring percussion that adds to its weight, but what really makes the song really shine are the ringing guitar chords, the massively infectious chorus, a fuzzed-out reverberating guitar solo that’s fantastic — and Marko Pavlovic’s voice. He adds to the occult atmosphere already created by the satanic lyricism, with a kind of dark charisma that reminds me of Peter Steele.

This fascinating Greek band’s 2014 album Oi Magoi was one we failed to review, though we paid lots of other attention to it as advance tracks rolled out, and we did publish KevinP’sinterview with the band’s vocalist/guitarist Theoharis.

I strongly recommend listening to this entire album — I loved it, and I had a hard time picking among its tracks for a song to add to this list. The one I ultimately chose is “Satan Is Time”. It pushes and recedes like the tide, an eerie psychedelic ambience trading places with a pulsing rock beat, distorted guitar chords moving with blood-pumping bass and drum rhythms, soaring clean vocals in partnership with ugly harsh ones. The melody will get stuck in your head — it sure as hell got stuck in mine — and you may feel like chanting the song’s title right along with Theoharis.

I probably would’ve picked “Our Shrouded King” myself, mostly for that opening riff, but “Ivory Crown” is a great pick, and “The Road To Hell Is Marked” has been a late frontrunner to overtake both of those for me. Really, that whole House of Capicorn album is bloody fantastic – you can’t go wrong.

Wholeheartedly agree on HoC, and on the Pete Steele vocal comparison–there’s a passage in “Ashlands” that I believe is a nod to Steele’s vox on October Rust. I was a little disappointed that Morning Star Rise got overlooked on a lot of 2014 “best of” lists. I wish I knew who to go to for more aggressive goth metal like that–I got TON, In Solitude, Mercyful Fate, I guess… anyone else you recommend?

Shores of Null put out a pretty good one this year in that vein. Kinda fits in between something like those mentioned above, with a bit of Insomnium-esque melodic death/doom in there too. Their vocalist, Davide Straccione, has an absolutely amazing voice.